Are you putting your happiness on hold?

Published by Karie Millspaugh on March 20, 2015March 20, 2015

Do you catch yourself saying….

When I retire, I’ll be able to travel more…. when I have more money we will be able to buy a bigger house, when my business takes off I’ll have the lifestyle I’m craving, when the kids are out of school I’ll have more time freedom, when I lose 15 lbs I’ll be more confident, when I have the relationships that I’m holding out for I’ll feel more loved…

Do you see the pattern? We put our happiness into the future, far far away at times where its never in the present moment.

I’m guilty of all those thoughts in some way or form… I can add my own personal one to that list. On the days when I’m feeling overwhelmed my thoughts wander to, when my daughter goes home to Michigan I will have more time to write my book. I’ll have more time freedom to work on my business, travel more and spend time with those that mean a lot to me.

Again… placing happiness on hold or placing it ahead of us into the future.
My daughter is REALLY gifted at dreaming and planning as most children her age are. I hear often, “mommy in our new home can I decorate my room pink and turquoise”? She’s always planning and jumping ahead. I try so hard to get her to have a mix of being in the present and planning for the future.

When you feel like the future is so far away and you’re missing the moments around you altogether,then you’re off balance. I’m a business coach, I create game plans and help my clients take action so that those dreams turn into their reality. I’m all about the dreaming and goal setting but when it starts to steal your JOY in the present moment. It’s time to stop… unplug and tap into gratitude.

When I catch myself going down the path of thinking, when XYZ happens… I’ll be happier or happy. I get out my journal and start writing what is in the present moment that I’m grateful for. I’m sure you’re not consciously wishing your days away either but isn’t that what we are doing?

I caught my daughter doing a countdown for our birthdays this month. I wanted to yell… stop it! Tomorrow may never come…stop wishing for it to be 7 days from now… but, she’s 10 and her birthday is around the corner so she has something fun and exciting to look forward to. I don’t want to limit your goal setting or you from dreaming, just follow this routine below to stay grounded, focused and enjoying EVERY minute of the day… and bring that happiness into the present moment.

AWARENESS:

When you feel yourself starting to drift off to the “when I ……” statements. Get out a piece of paper, I prefer to journal and write down everything that is RIGHT about today, your life, your health, your career… your relationships, your finances. Then write a story as if all of those things that are on your dream list is happening, RIGHT NOW in the present moment.

This is called INTENTION JOURNALING.

This will shift the energy of those dreams from being in the future ahead of you to the present moment. This is the law of attraction. Do this exercise often to create that fun energy and the state of peace that comes with it. It will calm you and take away that anxious energy.

EXAMPLE:

If you’re striving for a promotion and anxiously waiting for it to happen. Write in your journal is if it’s already in the present. How it feels to be in that job, what your new office looks like, what your new direct deposit amount is…woo hoo! Now we’re talking!

happy3 Here is another one, if you’re a new business start up and you’re in the present moment scrambling and wondering what’s next and if you’re making the right choices, write in your journal as if it’s 2 years from now. When your business is sailing and your brand is a household name and you have the lifestyle and freedom to take extended time off with your loved ones.

One more example. If you’re currently single and you feel that finding a partner will create more love and abundance in your life. Write as if that beautiful person is sleeping beside you right now as you journal about your day with them. See how fun this can be?

More importantly. I want you to notice the energy and feeling deep within your soul. Do you notice that the anxiousness of hitting that goal disappears? Do you notice that you feel more peaceful and more in control of your situation?

It also works well with weight loss and health challenges. Bringing that goal closer to you as you journal about what it FEELS like to already have that lean and fit body of health.

I’ve been practicing this pretty regularly in the past 2 years and I love looking back at my old journals and seeing how what I’ve written has already come true! It’s exciting! Be sure to date the journal and make a note to yourself that it’s forward journaling or some key word that only you know when you’re bringing your future closer to you. Then you can enjoy seeing how you’ve brought your destiny to you with the power of intention journaling.